The University of Michigan announced Friday that all students, faculty, and staff across the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The mandate also applies to anyone working or learning remotely. It goes into effect August 30.
In a letter to the community, UM President Mark Schlissel cited the highly contagious delta variant, the possibility of breakthrough infections, and the inability to vaccinate children under 12 as reasons for instituting the requirement.
Currently, 81% of students have reported being vaccinated, as have 65% of Ann Arbor campus employees and 76% of Michigan Medicine employees.
Previously, the university had mandated that any student living on campus get vaccinated, although UM-Dearborn announced in April that on-campus students, faculty and staff must either provide documentation they have been vaccinated or evidence of a weekly negative PCR test.
In May, over 700 university instructors signed a petition requesting a vaccine mandate.
Over 600 colleges and universities have announced similar requirements. In Michigan, only Albion College has instituted such a broad COVID vaccine mandate for its campus. Other universities, including Oakland University, will require students living on campus to get the shot.
A number of Michigan hospitals, including Beaumont Health, Spectrum Health, and Ascension, have also issued vaccine mandates for employees.
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